Atta Boy!

OK - this may look staged, but I swear it wasn't! This was an innocent, "hey honey, take Tyler's picture sitting at the bar like a big boy", moment. It wasn't until we transferred the photos to the computer that we realized what we had captured! The pediatrician told us not to expect them to be able to focus on specific objects for a couple more weeks. Call him an overacheiver...maybe he has a little of Grandpa Dale in him... (if you click on the photo it will enlarge)

So, we decided to send this photo to the folks at Guinness (I was drinking a Harp which is made by the nice folks at Guinness), and when I went online they just happened to be having a photo / essay contest going on. They were asking for photos of Guinness moments and wanted an essay to tell them how Guinness could make the party even better. Here is the essay Tyler sent in...

Hi! My name is Tyler. I was born 8 weeks ago - I am the only boy in a set of triplets! We were born 10 weeks early, so my mommy has been very busy making sure we have all we need to grow big and strong! Needless to say, her first beer, a Harp from daddy's kegerator in the basement, was just what she needed after a long day of feeding, burping and changing diapers! The thing that would have made this more special is if daddy had a Guinness tap so she could have a black and tan!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. The doctors said I wouldn't be able to focus on specific objects for another 2-3 weeks. Call me an overacheiver. I know a good beer when I SEE one!!!!!

Having Some Fun!

Ellison

Tyler
Haley

They are starting to recognize eachother! They have their own grunting language - sometimes it's a contest to see who can be the loudest! Just today, Tyler and Haley were playing on the blanket. All seemed to be going well until Tyler projectile vomited right on Haley's face! It didn't faze her - I guess she knows she will get him back sooner or later! It's funny, in the NICU, everything was SO sterile and they were SO protected. At home...not so much. I figure if they're exchanging vomit and surviving it, we will probably be okay with the "community pacifiers"! Heck, if one doesn't finish a bottle, and another seems to still be hungry...well, you get the point!

Sleep?

Sleep deprivation. I would say more, but I don't have the energy.

The first picture was taken at 2:00am - Jeff has figured out how to feed two at once so we can get to bed faster in the middle of the night. So much for those middle-of-the-night bonding moments - it's all about business in this household!

Our stroller is 6.5 feet long. Needless to say, we draw a crowd wherever we go!

Just so you know who's who: Elli is in the swing, Haley and Tyler have the close-ups. We're partial, but we think they're such little cuties! Even without sleep, we're having a great time!

Home Sweet Home

After seven weeks, all three babies are home!!!!! The girls came home a week ago Saturday, and Tyler came home on Tuesday! They are all doing SO well! We realized on Tuesday night how much harder triplets are than twins! We didn't have enough hands to feed, burp, diaper, snuggle, etc. everyone at the same time! It's still a work in progress, but we're getting better each day! Each feeding takes at least one hour (more on that later), and they eat every 3-4 hours which leaves about 2-3 hours of sleep in between. That is provided no one wakes up with a dirty diaper, no one has an upset tummy, no one needs to be repositioned, no one needs to be re-swaddled, no one loses a pacifier, no one barfs, no one gets the hiccups...you get the picture. Since they eat at least 6 times per day, we try and get all 18 bottles ready for the next day before we go to bed! I can't even count how many diapers we go through each day! Regardless of the craziness, we are so blessed to have these three awesome miracles!

Here are a few photos! I think our Cincinnati crew will recognize the Nike outfits! Thanks guys - they look adorable in them! Sorry it's taken so long to get them posted - I'm sure you will forgive me!